Agrocombustibles en América Latina. Entre la soberanía alimentaria, las necesidades energéticas y los conflictos sociales

This essay seeks to eludicate the social, economic and territorial transformations generated by the appearance of agro-fuels in Latin America, using Brazil, Guatemala and Mexico as examples. It starts with a brief reflection about how agrofuels are part of a new food-for-fuel regime and are being presented as a sustainable alternative to ecological damages caused by oil use and climate change. We find a qualitative difference in fuel and agriculture production and there are doubts about their energy and ecological efficiency, as evidence shows they are causing environmental and social conflicts. Their production favors deforestation and is a threat to peasant way of life in the countries analyzed. The article offers an overview of the world’s energy situation, demonstrating how agrofuels will only contribute a small amount of world’s energy supply. Following an explanation of the cases at hand, we come to some conclusions about agrofuel’s role in a new global territory and new agrofood regime.